The subject matter disclosed herein relates to an impeller tube assembly and to a compressor including an impeller tube assembly having an attenuation bracket.
In modern turbomachines, such as gas engine turbines, it is often necessary to direct fluid flow along an impeller component from an initial radial position relative to a rotational axis to a secondary radial position. This is sometimes achieved with an impeller tube assembly that often includes a support bracket, an impeller tube and a damper tube. The support bracket holds the tubes to a compressor wheel such that the tubes provide a fluid flow pathway in the radial dimension and the damper tube serves to dampen impeller tube vibration during turbomachine operation.
For such assemblies to operate properly, the impeller tube and the damper tube must be retained to and centered by the bracket under very high rotational speeds. Both tubes must also be positively retained on low speed operation so that they do not rattle, which would create noise and lead to wear. Many concepts have been developed for tube retention into the bracket but most designs require an additional retention feature to hold the parts in place during low speed operation. These parts can be misassembled and often do not prevent the tubes from clanking or wearing.